Annunciator.



E. E. NYE.

ANNUNGIATOR.

ABPLIOATION FILED FBB.11,190B.

9355320., Patented Sept. 28, 1909.

AnWEW. a cam! co. munuwnm. Wumm'nn. x1 a UNITED sTATns PATENT carton.

ELMER E. NYE, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

ANNUNCIATOR.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Emma ID. Nrn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a new and useful Annunciator, of which the following is a specification.

The main object of this invention is to provide an annunciator for calling attention of tradesmen, expressmen, or others, to the fact that their services are required at a certain location. For this purpose cards are now generally used which are displayed in a window or otherwise said cards being marked with the name of the article or na ture of the service required so that the tradesman or other person prepared to furnish the article or service will, in passing the location, notice the card and respond thereto. The present invention provides an annunciator which will replace the use of such cards thereby obviating the necessity of hunti ng up the cards or the inconvenience arising from the cards being lost.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for giving an emer ency signal in special cases, for example, when it is desired to call the police.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for indicating in a single annunciator the wants of a number of locations, for example, the difi'erent apartments in a building and for also indicating at the annunciator which apartment or apartments are calling for a certain article or service.

In the accompanying drawings :Figure 1 is a diagram of the circuit connections. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the annunciator; and, Fig. 3 is a front elevation thereof. Fig. t is a perspective of a line of the annuneiator drops with their latches.

The annunciator is mounted in a case or box 1 at the front of which are arranged a plurality of annunciator drops 2, 3. The annunciator drops 2 correspond to the article or class of service desired and the annunciators 3 correspond to the location or room which is calling for the service or article. A set of location drops 3 are preferably provided for each service drop 2 and are located in line with such service drop. Each annunciator drop is controlled by a latch it normally held, for example, by gravity, in engagement with the drop and carrying an armature 5 for an operating electromagnet, the electromagnets for the drops 2 being Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 11, 1908.

Patented Sept. '28, 1999. Serial No. 415,436.

indicated at 6 and the electronnignets for drops 3 being indicated at 7. A display sign is arranged to be exposed by the operation of each drop, such sign being, for example, in case of the drops 2, a card 8 inserted in a suitable holder 9 at the back of the drop, said holder being preferably formed as a case in which a. card can slide, said case being open at the front to expose the card. The location or room signs 10 may be in fixed position back of the annunciator drops In case of the special or emergency signal, for example, a police call, the corresponding drop indicated at 12 may be provided with means for closing an alarm circuit. Drop 12 being, for example, provided with a contact 13 which when the drop falls closes circuit between contacts 1 1 to close a relay circuit as hereinafter described, which controls the operation of an electric bell 15 and also an electric lamp 16, the plate 17 for the special or emergency sign being transparent and the case 17 therefor being open at the back as well as the front so as to allow the light from the lamp 16 which is back of said sign to illuminate the sign. In case this signal is for police or other emergency call, the transparent screen or glass plate 17 is preferably red to indicate urgency. A pivoted bail 18 extends over all of the latches 1, being unconnected to latches 4c for drops 3 and is connected by link or eye 20 to the latch for the drop 2.

As the purpose for which the device will generally be used requires its location at the front of the building, the case or boxthere for is constructed to protect the apparatus from the weather, having, for example, a hood or shed 19 at the top to shed the water from the apparatus.

21 designates the operating battery connected by wire 22 to a plurality of branch wires 23, each of which leads through one of the magnets 6 for the service drops 2 to a junction point 24 where connection is made to a plurality of sub-branches 25 each leading through one of the magnets '7 for the apartment drops to one of a plurality of push buttons in one of the apartments.

Each of the apartments, indicated by the words Apartment I, etc., in Fig. 1, is provided withaplurality or set of circuit closers or push buttons 26, there being one push button in each apartment for each class of service required, and the push buttons being marked to correspond with the respective drops for such service. One terminal of i each push button is connected to a subbranch wire as stated, the other terminal of the push button being connected by a branch wire 27 to the return wire 28 leading to the i other side of the battery 21. l

The special circuit for the emergency signal is preferably controlled by a relay circuit 30 leading from line wire 22 through a relay 32 to the other side 28 of the main circuit, this circuit including the two contacts 1 1 above referred to, controlled by the emergency drop 12 to close the relay circuit when the emergency drop falls, the said relay 32 controlling by its armature 34:, and contacts 35 connected thereby, a supplementary circuit 36 including a battery 37, elec tric bell or alarm 15 and lamp 16 above referred to.

The operation is as follows :The circuit closers or push buttons in the various apartments are all normally open. When any service is desired, provided for by the annunciator, the corresponding push button in the apartment where service is required will be pressed, closing the corresponding circuit whereupon current will flow from battery 21, through wire 22, branch 23, magnet 6, sub-branch wire 25, through magnet 7 to operated push button, thence by wires 27 and 28 to the other side of the battery, resulting in the operation of the elcctromagnets 6 and 7 and causing the corresponding drops 2 and 3 to fall exposing the sign for the service required, and also the sign indicating the apartment requiring the service. The operation of each push button selects one of the service drops and one of the apartment drops. Thus in Fig. 1 the second push button in the third apartment has been closed, operating the second service drop and the apartment drop number 3, as indicated in Fig. 3'. In case the emergency or police button is pressed, the corresponding drops 12 l and 3 are operated and the operation of drop 12 closes relay circuit 30 operating 1 through relay 32 to close the supplementary circuit 36 and operate alarm bell 15 and lamp 16, the bell giving an audible alarm and the lamp illuminating'the emergency or police sign which has been exposed by operation of drop 12. The latches 4 are preferably projected sufliciently beyond the drops to enable them to be lifted by hand and when any latch for a drop 3 is lifted it will raise the latch for drop 2 by means of bail 18. Thus, in case a person wishes to operate the annunciator mechanically, for example, to avoid returning to the apartment after having left the same, the latch for that apartment in the line of the wanted service may be lifted, indicating both the location and the service, with one operation and avoiding the necessity of lifting two latches.

The device is suitable for use by housekeepers and in apartment houses and may also be adapted for use in buildings where expressmen are required in different locations.

lVhat I claim is 1. In an annunciator for indicating service wants, an emergency signal comprising a transparent sign, a drop normally concealing said sign, an electromagnet controlling said drop, an electric circuit and push button controlling said electromagnet, a second circuit controlled by the said drop, and an electric lamp operated by said second. circuit and located to illuminate said sign.

2. In an annunciator, a service drop,a plurality of location drops, a latch for each drop and a bail connection to the latch for the service drop and operated by lifting of the latch of any of the location drops.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Los Angeles California this 3d day of February 1908.

ELMER E. NYE.

In presence of GEORGE T. HAOKLEY, FRANK L. A. GRAHAM. 

